Under the Cover of Darkness
by 84candyhearts
Summary: After a cryptic phone call FBI agent Edward Masen sets out to protect Bella Swan. As they run from whats chasing her they  find out that sometimes, there really is no one you can trust. Rated M, canon couples. **possible minor character death**


**Disclaimer- I am not ****Stephenie Meyer. This story is rated M for a reason. Hope you enjoy it. This chapter was pre read and beta'd by two ladies from the Sparkly Red Pen. **

Monday 4:10 AM

Seattle, Washington

I was dreaming about something, I couldn't quite remember what; , when the shrill ring of my phone jolted me awake. I rubbed at my eyes and glanced at the clock. Ten after four in the morning. What the fuck? I loved sleep but unfortunately the last few years it didn't come easily and I was pissed at whoever it was that insisted on waking me up. I decided to ignore it; and pulled the thick comforter over my head.

After a few seconds the room was silent and I closed my eyes again. I was drifting back to sleep when the incessant ringing started again. I sat up, tossing the pillow across the room before reaching for my phone. An unidentifiable number flashed across the screen. I pressed the green button.

"This better be fucking good." I growled.

"Edward Masen." The voice wasn't asking for me. He was telling me. I reached into my nightstand for the .38 that I kept tucked in the back of the top drawer. The caller sounded familiar but I couldn't place the voice.

"Who's this?" I asked. I got out of bed quietly and peeked out my bedroom window and down the street. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Whoever was on the line didn't answer me but I could hear their breaths.

"Who the fuck is this?" I snarled. My fingers were gripping the handle of the gun firmer now.

There was a loud crash on the other end of the phone and then the caller was back. "Charlie Swan."

I let out a whoosh of air. "What the hell, Charlie?" I switched on the light in the kitchen and searched for my cigarettes. I found them by the sink and I set my gun down on the counter to shake one loose from the pack.

"I need you to meet me," he said. Charlie sounded rushed, maybe even forced. I picked the gun back up from the counter.

"Ah. Okay. Are you in Seattle?" I asked him after I lit my smoke. What the hell was going on? Charlie was part of the Phoenix office.

"Beth's Diner. Can you be here in twenty minutes?"

"Will you tell me what the fuck this is about?" I walked back into my bedroom to grab some clothes.

Charlie was quiet for a second. "Be careful what you wish for Masen. I'll see you in twenty."

_Fuck. Nothing like cryptic phone calls to set the mood. _

The line was dead. I threw on a shirt and a pair of old jeans. I put the gun in its holster on my hip and attached my backup piece to my right ankle. If Charlie Swan was here then that meant something was wrong. Making sure I had both my phones and my wallet, I grabbed my keys from the table locked the apartment door behind me.

I walked down the stairs instead of taking the elevators to the garage. I found my silver Volvo, parked in the same spot as it always was and I climbed in. I rubbed at my eyes, wondering once again about how Charlie sounded on the phone. I started the engine and Muse blasted out of the speakers but I quickly shut it off. I needed to think. My brain raced through the different scenarios of why he was here.

I had worked under Agent Charlie Swan when I first started with the Bureau in Phoenix, Arizona. After two years I requested to be transferred to the Seattle office. My family lived in the area. I had limited contact with Charlie and any other agents from the Phoenix office since then. I couldn't comprehend why he was here. I was leaning towards something that was not official business seeing as he called my personal phone in the middle of the night.

It didn't take me long and when I arrived at the diner, I had ten minutes to spare. I waited in the Volvo, looking in through the glass window of the diner. There was an elderly couple eating pie and a group of college kids in a round booth. I didn't see Charlie. After a few more minutes I decided to go in. It was chilly and I probably should have brought a jacket with me. I hurried up to the door and welcomed the blast of heat that hit me when I entered the restaurant.

I could smell the grease from the bacon along with the smell of burnt coffee and eggs. There was one waitress who looked to be in her sixties working on a crossword puzzle from yesterday's paper. She looked up at me and smiled.

"Just one tonight, hun?"

I smiled back at her. "Two actually."

She reached for another menu and I followed her to a worn out booth along the far wall. "Thank you." I said as I slid onto the vinyl seat.

"Sure thing. Coffee?" she asked as she started to flip open her small notepad.

"Please."

I waited for her to leave and then I checked my phone. It had been twenty minutes, and Charlie was nowhere to be found. The waitress, whose name tag said Kate, set a cup of coffee down in front of me. She smiled again before turning and checking on the group of kids in the booth.

I was starting to get anxious. If Charlie said twenty minutes then he meant twenty minutes. He had called me from a restricted number. Otherwise I would have tried to call him back. I had no idea what his work number was anymore. I made a small tower out of the Equal packets on the table to keep my hands busy.

Kate came back over to check on me and I told her I was fine. Though I was feeling anything but fine. I checked my phones again. Just in case I accidently put the ringer on silent. There were no missed calls or texts. I tapped my foot against the floor as I tried to calm my nerves.

Another ten minutes passed and I pressed a five dollar bill under my coffee cup. I wasn't going to stick around any longer. I stood up and made to step out of the booth.

"Sit down Masen."

I whipped my head around and came face to face with Charlie.

"About God damn time." I snapped.

"Calm down. I had to make sure I wasn't being followed."

Charlie slid into the booth and pointed to me. I cleared my throat and sat down, crossing my arms over my chest. Charlie had definitely aged since the last time I saw him, and he was thinner. His hair had been a dark brown color but now it looked lighter and held patches of gray. There were more lines around his eyes and mouth. I watched as his eyes darted from me, to the window and then to the others in the diner.

"Fair enough. Why are you worried about being followed?"

I saw Kate walking over to us, empty cup in hand from the corner of my eye. She held it up in question and Charlie nodded. He waited until she was out of ear shot before speaking.

"Listen, kid. I don't have a lot of time. I need you to do something for me. Without asking anymore questions." Charlie quickly added while pouring Sweet N Low into his cup. "I have something for you. I need you to trust me and not open it unless you have to." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small manila envelope. He slid it across the table to me.

I picked it up. It wasn't heavy. I shook it slightly and nothing rattled. I could just feel the outline of something hard with my fingertip but I couldn't tell what it was.

I sighed loudly. I didn't like not knowing what was going. Even more so, I didn't like knowing that someone I knew was in trouble.

Charlie quickly shook his head. "Can't trust anyone right now. Heck, I'm not even sure I can trust you but my options are limited." He sounded defeated.

"If something happens I need you to open that envelope. There's an address; and some papers. That needs to be the first place you go. No matter what. Can you do that? Can I trust you?"

I shoved the envelope into my pocket. I still wasn't sure what was going on. I was on edge and worried about Charlie. The fact that he couldn't trust his own agents made me worry even more.

"Fine. I'll do it. You know I will but can you tell me whose going to be at the address?"

I was sure he wouldn't tell me. He stood up and pulled a five out of his pocket and laid it on the table. He was facing away from me now, and I could barely hear him.

"My daughter, Bella."

Charlie turned around to face me again. He stooped so that his face was level to mine. "You're the only one I trust to protect her."

I didn't know what to say to him. I didn't even recall him ever mentioning a daughter. I watched him walk away. I had more questions, tons of questions in fact but I could tell Charlie was not going to answer them.

I finished my coffee, fingering the envelope in my pocket. A few minutes passed and I stood up to leave.

I never expected it but I should have. I saw the flash before I heard anything. As if it was in slow motion I saw a piece of a Ford pick-up fly into the air landing about twenty feet away from the diner. The diner was quiet. No one even screamed. The elderly couple and Kate were huddled together. The group of college kids were staring at the remains of the truck_. Probably in shock_. I ran outside, pulling my gun from my hip as my eyes searched the parking lot. I didn't see anyone or anything. The stench of burning rubber filled the air. I didn't dare make a move to the truck. Whatever was left of it wouldn't be pretty.

My heart thumped so hard I thought it would jump out of my chest. The air no longer felt chilly to me. I could hear the wail of sirens in the distance and I decided not to stick around. If this was the something that Charlie had been talking about then I would need to haul ass to wherever his daughter was.

I ran to my car and started the engine in a hurry. I was jumpy with nerves and adrenaline. I managed to tear open the envelope with my teeth , holding it with one hand. I glanced at the road and then back down to the envelope. I tipped it and shook it slightly. A key fell out into my lap. I picked it up. It was a typical key; I guessed it belonged to Charlie's house. I tossed it into one of the cup holders in the center of the car and I squeezed the sides of the envelope so that it popped open again. With my thumb and pointer finger, I felt two small sheets of paper. Pulling them out I could see that the top paper was an address, somewhere in a suburb of Phoenix. The second paper held a string of numbers and letters. I had no idea what they meant.

I pressed down harder on the gas pedal and pulled my phone out. I needed information and I knew who could give it to me.

Jasper worked in the Seattle office as well. He worked in their Internet Crimes unit. What many people didn't know is that when Jasper was 13, he hacked into the FBI's search engine, on a dare. The FBI had their eye on him ever since, and when he was eighteen they offered him a job. I guess they assumed it was better to have him working for them rather than against him.

I dialed his number as I weaved in between semi's and SUV's.

"Whitlock." I heard him drawl.

"It's me. I need information. Anything you can find on Charlie Swan and Bella Swan."

I could hear him clicking away on a keyboard.

"Agent Charlie Swan?" he asked me.

"Uh, yeah."

"It's gonna take a while Edward. How soon do you need this?" he asked.

_Fuck. _

"Jasper I don't have time. I need it now. Anything you can find. Particularly on Bella okay? Call me as soon as you get something. Oh and tell Alice I'm sorry but I won't make it tonight for dinner." I hung up on him, not waiting for a response.

Alice was my younger sister. She was the biggest pain in the ass, which was surprising given that she wasn't even five foot one. She and Jasper were also engaged. I would hear about missing this family dinner for the next three months.

I yanked the brown shades that hung from my visor and pushed them up my nose continuing to dodge traffic. This was bad. This was more than bad and I had no idea what to expect once I got to Phoenix, or what I would do once there.

_Would this girl even come with me?_ I wondered aloud. She didn't know me from any other Tom, Dick or Harry. And if she did come with me, how would I tell her about her father.

While I drove I thought about the different ways that this could be played. None of the scenarios seemed like good options. My main concern now was where Bella was. I frowned while I thought about it. I found it odd that the girl wouldn't be with her mother, unless Charlie was divorced, but even then it was still odd that Charlie didn't at least mention her to me. Where was I supposed to take Bella, and would I even get there in time?

I paid close attention to the radio, opting to listen to the police scanners instead of music. There was only a brief call out for more back up at the diner, nothing else that came across seemed to be related.

Once I was close to the Washington/Oregon border I stopped for gas, letting the attendant fill up the tank while I went into the gas station to get some coffee and a pack of Camel's. I handed him cash to cover the price of gas, my smokes and the coffee.

I smacked the pack against my hand and then opened the plastic and foil wrapping. I lit it and inhaled deep, feeling a little bit calmer. I drove back on the interstate taking I82 E to get through Oregon. Traffic was starting to pick up with people going to work and taking kids to school. I had to slow down to the speed limit and I slammed my fist against the steering wheel.

I couldn't afford any delays.

**I hope you liked it. Chapter two will be up soon. **


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